Venatrix
by Artemistmg
Summary: Narnia...where five queens must experience adventure, face unknown foes, travese an unknown land, and battle internal demons...and where the adventure begins.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Narnia is not mine.**

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><p>She was so sorry. She hadn't meant to be bad. It was just that no one was left for her.<p>

She couldn't even breathe. She wasn't even sure if that was because of how she felt or the symptom. Probably both.

And she kept throwing up. It was utterly disgusting. She felt bad for the nurse who kept telling it would "be all right." Normally she wasn't one for liars, but the old lady was so sweet. She'd do.

Can't the room stopping spinning? It hurt her head so much for a still room to be so dizzy. She was even lying down.

She didn't dare speak. It came out all slurred, and was below one of her station.

She didn't understand the words coming out of the new lady's mouth. New Lady stood with New Man who was not Doctor.

More garble from New Lady Who Looked Familiar. She knew she couldn't talk right, but couldn't New Lady? She wondered if it was her brain that made New Lady sound like she was speaking Latin…wait she knew Latin didn't she? Then New Lady spoke Greek.

"You're blue!" Cried New Lady; New Man who was not Doctor nodded his head in agreement.

She tried to move her head, but she was slow. Why did she have the reflexes of a dead cat? But New Lady was right, her pale skin seemed rather blue…but maybe it was that stupid brain acting up again.

"Child can you understand me?" New Lady asked.

"Unnnyeehanan." That was supposed to be yes…was she speaking Greek now?

New Lady whacked New Man that was not Doctor. "Go get the doctor! It's getting worse!" The New Man that was not Doctor went to go get Doctor.

"Listen to me child." New Lady bent down until she was eye level, and stared her straight into her eyes. "Do not leave me you understand! You cannot leave me here!" New Lady shrieked hysterically.

"Please don't leave me! I've lost a sister and brother-in-law, two nephews, a niece, a family friend, and _my son_! Don't you give out on me!" New Lady wailed.

And then Susan Pevensie closed her eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: This is a story I've wanted to write for a while. Yay for finally getting it posted. So please tell me how you feel about it. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Narnia belongs to the C.S. Lewis Estate.**

**(To my one reviewer who asked if that was Aunt Alberta last chapter, indeed it was.)**

Where was she? Her back hurt, and there were sharp pointy things stabbing her entire backside. Her head felt like it had been clubbed.

Slowly, Susan opened her eyes, and it was brown. There was just a little light, but no source. While she waited for her eyes to adjust she tried to clear her head. Obviously, shaking it was not the best decision.

Susan didn't know why she was horizontal, and tried to lift her head up off of the extraordinarily uncomfortable mock pillow. Ironically, it helped clear her head, and she could make out things.

She was wearing a pink dress. Not justany pink dress, it was _the_ pink dress. The one she wore on her sixteenth birthday with the red roses on it. The one that came down to her knees, fit her waist, and showed off her arms. The one that became ragged after two years, and had to be thrown out. Her shoes were those fabulous high heels that Ed had accidentally destroyed. Peter had said something appalling, and Edmund had meant to grab a pillow, but Susan's shoes had been on the chair (for they had only been worn with said dress), and he had grabbed one of the shoes and nearly gouged Peter's eye. Instead he impaled the wall, although he did repay Susan the money and even offered to buy her new shoes. Peter had also pitched in some of his money due to his overwhelming sense of being guilty for everything, and Susan had of course had _implied_ that Edmund wasn't the one who had ruined her favorite shoes.

She sat up, and felt a curl brush against her face. She knew that her hair was perfectly curled by the feel, and assumed her makeup was flawlessly done. But why? And where was she again?

The light had either gotten brighter or she could see well. Not that there was much to see: the pillow had been a big, brown rock, and the sharp pointy things were just smaller rocks on a dirt floor. She looked up, and saw a low dirt ceiling.

There was no doubt she was underground, but this place was sort of creepily mine-like.

Susan stood up, and brushed off her dress. She was certain the light was stronger now, and she carefully moved closer to the direction of which the tunnel was lighter.

Then she swore she heard her name, and it wasn't just any voice calling it. It was her voice. Susan looked up toward the faint light at the end of the tunnel, and standing on the slight "hill" was Lucy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Narnia is not my property.**

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><p>Susan blinked, and blinked again. It was undeniable – that was Lucy.<p>

"Susan?" Came a gasp, though Lucy herself was hard to see, as the light came from behind her, shock was written on her face. Practically tumbling down the miniature hill, she smacked into Susan and gave her Peter sized hug.

"Susan! Susan it's you!" She squealed, and blocked off the pathway for oxygen with her hugging. It didn't matter though – Susan hugged nearly as hard right back.

"What are you _wearing_?" Came Lucy's next question as she stepped back. There were tears in both girls' eyes; both of happiness, though Lucy's did come from laughter. Why was Susan wearing _that_?

It took Susan a moment to speak as she was so emotional. "I…I don't know," she cried, "but I've missed you so!" Lucy put her hand on Susan's shoulder, a move she learned from Susan, and was about to say something when another voice shouted out.

"Lucy where are you? Drat, she's gone again! Lu this is _not_ the time to be playing!" If Lucy is correct and Susan's voice sounds like a gentle breeze, and if Susan is correct and Lucy's voice sounds like the dancing of fauns, then _that_ female voice sounds like firecrackers, exploding with excitement at all times.

"Over here Sapiens!" Called Lucy as she linked arms with Susan; and Susan took the moment to look over at Lucy's clothing.

She wouldn't have noticed if Lucy hadn't said something about her own dress, but she didn't recognize Lucy's clothing. She was wearing pants, which was common, though they looked to be velvet and not Peter's nor Edmund's. She wore simple boots, again quite common for her. Her torso was covered in three layers. A white shirt of which Susan could only see the collar, and a red jerkin with some sort of gold design on it. She had some sort of rigid looking sleeves on her arms. Around her waist was her dagger and cordial, with her second favorite weapon a dwarf sword on a strap right below her gifts. Susan had never seen this outfit before, and didn't even recognize the dwarf sword as being one of Lucy's. The outfit felt like a hybrid of Narnian and something else.

Whilst Susan studied Lucy's wardrobe choices, she didn't even realize that a group of girls had descended upon them – until Lucy's nudge that is.

"Lu…you didn't tell us…" the girl on the right started to say, but stopped as she stared at Susan. The girl looked oddly familiar. Her face was kind, though one could tell she was probably snarky at times. She had the voice of the firecrackers.

Susan noted her outfit was fully Narnian, but not Susan's Narnian. The girl wore a soft looking white shirt that was a smidge too big. Susan saw two strings to tie the neck together. Its cuffs were tightened around her elbows, with a bit of embroidery on them and along the neckline which wasn't directly at her neck. It was a man's shirt that was loose and hit just below her waist. Her wrists and a bit of her inner arm were covered by leather bracers. There were gold studs ringing the edges, and they were tied on the outer arm. She also wore velvet pants and boots like Lucy's. She wore a cuirass though, that hooked both pieces from the shoulders and the sides of the torso. On it was five lions; they looked just like the ones on Peter's shield. They alternated colors: red on the outside and middles ones, and gold on the two inner ones. Around her waist was strap with a dagger attached. A quiver was strapped on her back with the bow inside. Susan saw the dark wood of the bow and the gold fletched arrows inside the black quiver. The girl's brown, impossibly curly hair reached the bottom of her back. Two pieces, the ones which would get in her face, were pulled back.

"You remember Jill right?" Lucy asked Susan. Jill?

"Jillian Pole. Scrubb's mate." Jill stuck her hand out. "I met you seven years ago, and saw you nearly every summer. Of course, I doubt you saw me." Susan shook her hand.

"Jill must you be so brash?" said the young women standing next to Jill on her left. She wasn't pale, but rather glowed. It was like the light was being emitted from _her_. She had blonde wavy hair that hit her shoulders. Her dress was simple. A very white-like light blue that had thick shoulder straps, its waist was under the bust, and it flowed to the floor. She carried a sword on her back.

"None of you will be so blunt due to 'proper' upbringing. Is there something wrong with speaking my mind?" Jill argued back.

"If it hurts feelings then yes." The blonde said gently.

"Or if no one wants to hear it." Susan whipped her head toward the last girl on the left. She was taller than Susan and Lucy; Lucy was the shortest in the group. She was the same height as the blonde girl, but Jill was the tallest. Susan estimated she had to be somewhere around five feet eight inches, and with her skinny frame she rather resembled her last name.

This young woman had an olive complexion with bright green eyes, a dusting of freckles across her nose, and straight dark red hair that fell just below her bust. She was outfitted in a violet peplos, looking very much like a wealthy ancient Greek aside from her hair. A spear was slung on her back, and she carried two daggers on her waist, each with their own strap.

Jill maturely stuck her tongue out at the red head.

"Well, Su you Jill our Sapiens –"

"Don't call me that!"

"Why ever not?" Lucy laughed and it sounded like happy noises you only hear if you listen closely.

Jill just narrowed her eyes, but twisted her mouth in a way that was evident she was just joking.

"To Jill right, your left Su," Lucy extended her arm toward the blonde woman, "is Liliandil, wife of King Caspian the tenth. You met him." Lucy smiled. Before Susan could even get over the shock that she just met _Caspian's wife_, because the last time she met him was thirteen, Lucy had moved on.

"And this," with a big flailing of the arm to the direction of the red head, "is Queen Swanwhite. You remember her from our history lessons right? Swanwhite was the last of Frank and Helen's descendents to rule before Jadis." Susan gave her a slight nod, but it was not acknowledged. Swanwhite was a bit too busy smoothing out her dress.

Jill fidgeted. "Can we give it to her now?" She whined a bit.

"You seem eager." Liliandil commented.

"Well I want to get out of here. You know how I feel about _this_." Jill said barely standing still.

"Give what?" Susan asked, addressing Lucy.

"Well, we found these a few moments before I found you…Jill." She nodded her head towards the girl.

As if by magic, though Susan knew they had really been behind her back, Jill made Susan's gifts appear. She gasped. Jill carefully handed the quiver strap to her, as the horn's strap was in line with the quiver's.

"Thank you." Susan cried as she returned Lucy's Peter sized hug back to her.

"Actually we just found them. She didn't _do_ anything." Swanwhite commented clearly bored.

"Shut it fool!" Jill hissed.

"Thank you." Susan said as she put her gifts on, feeling _right_ as though she hadn't for so very long. She felt Narnian again.

"You said that already." Replied Swanwhite with a sigh. In a flash Lilandil's arm was in front of Jill's body. Jill was posed to attack with clenched fists.

"Control your temper." She warned the child girl, and Jill straightened back up, but crossed her arms. Swanwhite rolled her eyes, and started to braid a small piece of her hair.

"Otherwise," Lucy jested, "we'll just have the ever calm Daughter of Ramandu interrogate you again." Susan quickly realized whom the Daughter was after Jill's face became void of color and she looked at Liliandil with increasing fear.

"Y-y-you w-wouldn't would you?" She gasped. Liliandil shrugged her shoulders. "Not if you didn't have something to hide."

"I don't, I don't, I DON'T!" Jill cried out; she turned to Susan for help. Susan looked at Lucy, who was smiling innocently.

Lucy sighed, "If only you'd just admit it…"

"It's become sport to you all hasn't it? 'Let's see if we can wring information out of Jill!' Bother Edmund! Bother Scrubb! Bother Rilian!" Jill sneered at the girls, looking fairly upset.

"Edmund. Peter. Eustace." Susan gasped, and looked at Lucy. 'Later' she mouthed.

"It's only become fun, because you won't admit it." Lucy gave a smile.

"There. Is. Nothing. To. _Admit_." Jill said through clenched teeth.

"You are a liar," Swanwhite started and didn't even seem to notice that Liliandil was once again blocking Jill was assaulting her, "and practically everyone knows that you feel for him."

"He is my friend, of course I feel for him! I'm not some air head wanker like yourself who doesn't care a snip about all the boys that follow you around like you're the mother to their pups!" Jill cried. Susan and Lucy gasped.

"Jill language!" Lucy remanded. Jill mumbled a "sorry."

"That's because no boys find you romantically appealing; not even the one that you 'follow like a pup'." Swanwhite said matter of factly, even if a bit absentminded. Jill looked heartbroken.

"That was wrong." Liliandil stated and gave Swanwhite a hard look. "It'd be best if you apologize."

"For what? Speaking my mind, isn't that what Sapiens was saying earlier? You all know it to be true, except you." She nodded in Susan's direction.

"How about if we just keep moving, and get out of here. I see that we need to go back the way we came, as it's a dead end this way." Jill said choking back tears, and trudged her way back up the hill.

Liliandil went next, with Swanwhite behind her, and Susan and Lucy walked side by side.

"Three questions: first is, who is the man Jill is after? And where are we and why are we here?"

"I'll answer the first one later, Jill'll have a fit she finds out I told you; as for the other two…we were brought here just like you. We know nothing."

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><p><strong>AN: **Came out a bit longer than expected, but hopefully you like it. I hope the character choices aren't cliché. I wanted Jill for her spunkiness, and Ramandu's Daughter (using the movie name, because well it's shorter than typing RD out) has always struck me as the motherly type. I wanted someone who could balance out Jill's childish ways. Originally Aravis was part of the group, but honestly it was going to be hard to not overload on her and Jill's identities. So instead I put Queen Swanwhite I, who is the Queen (not the doppelganger after the Pevensies, but the original one) that Jewel tells Jill about in LB. She's that really pretty one that looks in water and her reflection stays for a year and day (or something close to that). I do hope I was able to "get" Susan's feelings correct. It was rather difficult to capture that awe and acceptance.

Sapiens means 'wise one.' (Or at least my limited Latin skills say so. Please correct me if I'm wrong.) It's used as a jesting nickname, not to be 'mean.'

Ages: I'm complying with the book on this one. Lucy: 17, Susan: 21, Jill: 16, SW: 19, and RD: 22. (While they all have the appearance of young women, they are all older mentally – aside from Jill.)

As for the clothes bit, Jill and Lucy are wearing the clothes they wore when they were last in Old Narnia. Jill's was based on the fact that Lucy wore male clothing in movie VotDT, and if they (Pole, Scrubb, and Tirian) were in the tower there wouldn't be female clothing. Lucy's outfit is from movie VotDT, and RD's dress is based off of both versions of VotDT. I based, and bluntly said, SW's era is Greco-Roman based. I figured that if the movies put the Golden Age as the Middle Ages, (and presumably Prince Caspian era is later Middle Ages), then to predate that specific Postclassical time era, I went for the Classical Greco-Roman periods.

If you do review (please do) there's two things I'd like to see for this specific chapter: 1) Can you guess what Susan was suffering from in Chapter 1? 2) Who is the guy that Jill is so keen on?

2 is arguably the harder one once I reveal the answer. (Probably within the next two chapters, hopefully the next one, but I'm not sure.)

Of course, you don't _have_ to put those in, but I'd like to see them. =D

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Narnia does not belong to me, but I'm open to gifts. =D**

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><p>"Susan, may I speak to you?" Liliandil asked as she and Lucy switched spots seamlessly.<p>

"Of course." Susan smiled, and was still having a bit of trouble digesting that this glowing, gorgeous women married the skinny child Susan knew.

"I wish to know how you are doing. It is common knowledge that you have forsaken Narnia." She simply put. Susan turned her head. Jill and Lucy quickly turned to each other and started talking as if they hadn't been listening.

"Verb correction – _had_. Hard to forsake something when it's right in front of you." Susan grinned, and continued to trudge up the miniature hill of rocks. The whole plan had a low ceiling, very little light, and was made up of small hills and valleys of rocks.

"True. As a mother I am worried for you. Change is inevitable and one must accept it. You are sure you are okay?" Liliandil's eyebrows crinkled slightly. _She really is worried for me._

"I am fine. As you said, change is inevitable. I have weathered worse unfortunately. So, you are a mother? I never did marry. What is it like?" Susan asked inquisitively.

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><p>After finding quite a few plant-like objects, and Liliandil believing they were okay to eat, the Queens camped out on the ground.<p>

They decided since they were in a foreign land that they ought to have at least one person wake at a time. Susan had offered to keep first watch, she wanted alone time.

Susan didn't exactly know where to begin, but she didn't really get a change when, "Susan?" came Lucy's voice.

"Yes?" She whispered back.

Lucy sat up, and scooted over to her sister. "There's no need to whisper. Lili is a light sleeper, but she is somehow able to filter 'good' or 'bad' voices. She'll have no recollection of our conversation. Both Jill and Swanny are heavy sleepers. Besides who can hear over Jill's snoring?" Lucy giggled.

"Anyway, to answer your question earlier about Jill's mystery lover, well actually there is no 'lover' part. It's rather sad actually."

"Why? Is he dead?" Susan asked concerned.

Lucy cackled, "If he was, wouldn't he be with us in Aslan's Country?"

Relief flooded Susan, "Oh, that's where you are! That completely missed me? You are happy, yes?"

Lucy rolled on her stomach, and started kicking her legs, "Yes, we're happy. It is normally all good things. Every once and while something bad sneaks in, but then we go and fix it."

"Who is we?" Susan asked sitting like a pretzel.

"The boys, Scrubb, Jill, and sometimes Caspian, Rilian, or Tirian will join us."

"Who are Rilian and Tirian?" And so Lucy told Susan of The Silver Chair and The Battle of Stable Hill.

"How is Aslan's Country organized? It must be so awfully big to fit all peoples in it?"

"It's more like a state of consciousness. Each King and or Queen has their own niche carved out, and then all those of their rule are there. Some niches have collapsed due to the rulers wishing to live in others' time, but they are always welcome to go back to their own. Each niche corresponds with the correct time period."

"So if one wishes to visit, say King Gale, then you must simply wish it and you appear?"

"Basically. It's hard to explain, but that's the gist of it. Our court and the one of Frank and Helen are the most crowded. We have many regents staying with us, including Caspian, Rilian, and Tirian. They, though, really visit us, and aren't permanent-like guests."

"And how are the boys?"

"Peter and Edmund are quite glad to be almost their proper ages. In fact, I believe they like being a little younger. They are quite the attraction for many ladies, much like they were when we ruled, and they are quite glad for the attention. Of course, they are _gentlemen_ with the ladies." Lucy winked, and giggled. "I suppose those urges never go away with them. And Eustace is having a grand time just getting to know people; he's only just getting to the point where he's noticing girls. I think Peter gave them _that talk_."

Susan yawned, "You talk of ages. Do you all grow old there?"

Lucy's face scrunched up, "Well yes and no. Time is different. It's like time goes so slowly and yet incredibly fast too. As for ages, we are what we wish to be. One cannot be older than they have ever been. So Peter cannot be older than 28, Ed can't be older than 25, and I cannot be older than 23. Speaking of time, how long has it been since…"

"A few months."

"And you were okay?"

"I was not honourable during that time. I wish not to speak of it. Perhaps we should speak of other things, like Jill's not lover."

"Oh yes, well, she shall kill while I dream if she ever found out about this, but she's incredibly in love with him," Susan raised an eyebrow, "at least I _think _it's love. The problem is she won't admit it, to us or herself, and I'm not sure he's interested. Actually I'm fairly certain he is, but I wouldn't know for certain unless I prod. And not only that, but Swanny sort of went after him." Lucy winced.

A gasp emitted from Susan, "Did she know that Jill fancied him?"

"Of course she did! That's why she tried to court him. She doesn't even care for him that much. She just did it to spite Jill. That's why they are archenemies. It's just that the guy is so unaware of Jill's feelings, and Jill feels like he doesn't reciprocate them, so she won't do anything." Lucy sighed. It was obvious to Susan that Lucy wished Jill happiness.

"I find it hard to believe that Jill wouldn't speak her mind. How long has she fancied him?" Susan laughed.

"She's is still feisty and snarky when around him, but she doesn't let herself go past 'friends'. As for her feelings, well forever I think, or at least a long time. I can't remember her _not_ fancying him." Lucy gave a chuckle.

"You still haven't told me the identity of the not lover." Susan smiled.

Lucy mock whacked herself on the head, "Of course, how silly am I? It's Peter!"

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><p><strong>AN:** How many of you thought it was Eustace?


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